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Monday, April 02, 2012

Holy Smokes, We're 40 Years Old

We were founded in 1972. That makes us 40 years old this year. Wow. That's a big birthday.

We're 40 and thus suckers
for gratuitous ZooBorns photos

We might not look it, but we're older than Microsoft. We're older than Roy Halladay. We're approximately 40 times as old as this adorable cheetah.

We aren't sure exactly when in 1972 we were founded. The first meetings of the "Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition" were held in the back room of J. Mulligan's Restaurant and Bar in 30th Street Station.

Since those heady early days, the goal of our work has been the same: speaking up for the rights of bicyclists, and making our region a better place to ride a bike.

That ride looks a lot different today than it did in 1972. Today you can take your bike on SEPTA and on the Ben Franklin Bridge. Philadelphians now live in a city with a bike/ped plan and more than 400 miles of bike lanes (all built in the last two decades). With ever-closing gaps, you can ride your bike from Philadelphia to Valley Forge on dedicated bike/ped paths.

We're not resting on these accomplishments. But we are marking this anniversary with a new logo and other big announcements in the months to come.

New logo!

This week, help us celebrate 40 years of making our rides better by telling us about your rides!

We're on Twitter (@bcgp), and we'd like to know how your ride has changed in the past 40 years. Tweet at us with the biggest improvement in your ride since 1972.

What? Not 40 years old? Then tell us one way you want your bike ride to improve before you turn 40.

Use the hashtag #bikePHL. We'll share our favorites and a couple respondents will score I Bike PHL t-shirts and/or these snazzy new tote bags we just ordered (now that we're 40, we must start stockpiling canvas tote bags).

Lastly, a big thank you to all our members and supporters for standing behind our 40 years of work. Together let's make the next 40 years even better for bicycling and walking in the Greater Philadelphia Region.